Keywords
disproportionate treatment, policing, criminal law
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Detecting disparate impact in policing practice is essential, but those tasked with developing such inquiry face significant challenges in designing analyses. Racial profiling research has also been plagued by an inability to gain consensus regarding valid comparison groups – commonly termed the “denominator problem” in benchmarking analyses. The current inquiry details the process and outcome of using the disproportionality index (Dolan Consulting Group, 2016) to investigate several enforcement actions at a midsize department in the southeastern United States. The findings highlight the importance of combining the appropriate benchmark with the appropriate level of analysis, and the need for more scholarly inquiry into disproportionate treatment in a variety of law enforcement outcomes. The correlation between selected geographical locations and the disproportionality index in the assessment of disparity during traffic stops, field contacts, and arrest is discussed.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.21428/b6e95092.997917e4
Recommended Citation
Bonner, Heidi S. and Stacey, Michele
(2018)
"Measuring Disproportionate Treatment in Policing: One Department’s Experience,"
Journal of Criminal Justice and Law: Vol. 2:
Iss.
2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21428/b6e95092.997917e4
Available at:
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/jcjl/vol2/iss2/1